THE suicide of a Jeremy Kyle guest was not linked to his appearance on the TV show, a coroner ruled today.
Steve Dymond, 63, was discovered dead at his home in Portsmouth, Hampshire, a week after filming the ITV show in May 2019.
He had failed a lie detector test after trying to prove he hadn’t cheated on his ex-fiancee Jane Callaghan.
An inquest into his death found there was an “absence of reliable evidence” that the events on the show directly led to his death.
Hampshire coroner Jason Pegg also concluded there was “insufficient evidence” that Kyle contributed to Steve’s adverse mental state.
Ruling a verdict of suicide, he said: “Having considered the evidence carefully there is an absence of reliable evidence that demonstrates that Steven Dymond’s appearance on the Jeremy Kyle Show probably caused or contributed to his death. To do so would be speculative.
“I am not satisfied that events on Jeremy Kyle Show gave rise to a clear link that caused or contributed to the death of Steven Dymond such that I should be recording this as a contributing factor.
“Steven Dymond had a history of a diagnosed personality disorder and mental illness which presented on a number of occasions before any appearance of the Jemery Kyle Show and resulted in Steve Dymond self-harming or displaying thoughts of suicide.”
Speaking after the ruling, a spokesperson for Jeremy Kyle said the coroner “clearly and unequivocally” found that he “did not in any way cause or contribute to the tragic suicide of Steve Dymond”.
The statement added: “He is now exonerated of that ill-informed accusation and his name has finally been cleared.
“Out of respect for the family of Mr Dymond and the judicial process, Jeremy has always maintained that it would be inappropriate to discuss details whilst the legal inquest was ongoing and he has remained steadfastly silent in the face of lies, false accusations and unfair criticism over the last five-and-a-half years.
“This has taken a huge toll on him and his family and he would like to thank everyone who has truly supported him through these tough times.”
The inquest was told Steve died from combination of an overdose and left ventricular hypertrophy – thickening of the heart – on May 9, 2019.
He had called his son Carl Woolley on the day of filming and was “very upset” – claiming Kyle had “egged on” the audience to boo him.
Steve was adamant he had been telling the truth when he took the lie detector test on the show, the court was told.
Carl said his dad remained upset in the days that followed and would call him up to six times a day.
As a result, he begged his dad to continue getting after-care support from ITV.
During his own evidence, Kyle defended his approach to the way he presented his show and denied Steve had been “humiliated”.
He said: “I think that people who came on the show – I think the show had been on air for 15 years – and I believe the approach for conflict resolution was always the same.
“Yes, it was direct, but it was empathetic, it was honest.”
Referring to Steve’s appearance, he said he “de-escalated” and “calmed” the situation after the dad failed the lie detector.
Kyle added: “That’s what I always believed the show was about – conflict resolution.”
Footage released during the inquest showed Steve preparing to take the lie detector.
A polygraph examiner could be seen breaking down how the test would work before the dad asks if it is “99.9 per cent accurate”.
The examiner responds: “They are 95 per cent accurate.”
He then tells Steve: “If you fail one question, you fail the lot”.
In his ruling, the coroner said there was “insufficient evidence” to conclude whether or not Steve lied during the test.
The court was told the RNLI worker had been “desperate” to appear on the show and phoned up to 50 times.
He was rejected on his first application after disclosing he had depression and had been prescribed medication.
Steve was given the diagnosis in 1995 and he had taken overdoses on four occasions, it was said.
But he reapplied with a letter from a GP, which was reportedly “unusual” for the show.
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide
It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
That is why The Sun launched the You’re Not Alone campaign.
The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
Let’s all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others… You’re Not Alone.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
A one-to-one assessment was then carried out with Steve and producers before it was agreed he could appear.
ITV said: “We extend our deepest sympathies to those close to Mr Dymond and recognise how difficult the inquest and the past five years have been for them.
“The Coroner did not find any causal link between Steve Dymond’s appearance on The Jeremy Kyle Show and his death.
“In the Coroner’s findings of fact he confirmed that The Jeremy Kyle Show had comprehensive Duty of Care processes covering the selection of contributors who appeared on the show and their care both during and after filming.
“The Coroner described how these processes were followed with Steve Dymond including the offer of follow up Cognitive Behavioural Therapy support.
“ITV is committed to continuing to evolve and strengthen the care given to all those who take part in our shows which we believe set industry leading standards for the selection, protection and support of participants.”
If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123.
